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Cat Laws & Licensing

Cat laws may differ based on where you live in Dane County. Check with the municipality in which you live to see if there are pet laws not covered by county ordinance.

Cat Laws for Madison and Dane County

Cat Licensing

Cats do not need to be licensed in rural Dane County, but do in certain municipalities like Madison. Check with your municipality to see if a licensing law applies to your location.

Identification Tag

An identification tag with owner name, address and phone number is required by both Madison and Dane County. It can help get your pet back home if it gets lost. You can get an identification tag from most pet stores, your vet, or the Humane Society and should keep it on your pet at all times.

In municipalities that require cats to be licensed, an identification tag does not replace the need for a license tag when the cat is off the property.

Running at Large

Both the City of Madison and Dane County have running at large laws for cats. Cats are not to run at large off the owner’s property unless they have permission to be loose from the owner of the property they are on.

Healthy People. Healthy Places.

Public Health Services are available to all residents and visitors of Madison and Dane County. Citizenship is not a requirement. We provide services regardless of a person's race, color, gender/gender expression, ability, religion, sexual orientation or place of birth/place of residence.

Our Mission

Working with the community to enhance, protect, and promote the health of the environment and the well being of all people.